The antidote to ideologies

FARAGE TRUMPS THE ESTABLISHMENT WITH US RALLY SPEECH….and there’s more to come

Man with a mission to bury both globalism and socialism?

UKIP insiders were hinting last night that former leader Nigel Farage is on a mission to reinvent himself in a much broader role. Along with a select group of advisers, the man liberals love to hate wants to move himself further away from a one-issue stance, and stand for the ordinary citizen’s common sense versus the pc élites among whom fancy tends to triumph over fact. The Slog examines Farage’s strategy.

Twitter this morning is flooded with the Twattering Classes offering their usual brand of bile-spitting as some kind of reasoned argument. The more they do it, the more they make the Labour Party look unpleasantly out of touch with real life. I’m neither a Farage nor Trump fan, but in the light of there being no alternatives available for genuine opposition to the Establishment on either side of the Pond, it isn’t enough to use terms like ‘odious prick’, ‘smarmy stain on humanity’, ‘dickhead’, ‘toerag’ (sic) and ‘slimey creep’.

It says a lot about the TC’s that most of the tweets were limp jokes about the new moustache, very few of them having noticed that he shaved it off two days ago. But then, liberals have never been good at putting visual evidence into perspective.

In the UK, a woman with no respect for personal freedoms (and strong relationships with the police and security services) is in power with a clear majority. The Labour Party’s response to this is to try and overturn a massive vote in favour of Corbyn (only 15 months ago) with a Blairite apparatchik. Nobody among either the PLP or the activists beyond Parliament has come out publicly and said, “This man you all hate so much took seven million votes off us last time – why?”

The Labour leadership election is a nasty, bloody mess being orchestrated from behind a thick fire-curtain by Tony Blair, Alastair Campbell, and the modernising PR agency of which they are both senior directors and shareholders. Such cynical power-freaks as these like Richard Branson, the UAE, media manipulation…and they think the more lobbyists there are plying their treasonable trade, the better.

I dislike pompous bombast: it is a near generic feature of politicians in the 21st century West. Also I dislike childish bad manners. As Trump and Farage are suffused with both, I can see what they have in common….and I don’t like it.

But to blame the electorate for their existence is about as head up backside as it’s possible for ideologist élites to get. It betrays a dimension I have always detested among the bourgeois ‘intellectual’ liberal Left: a thinly veiled belief that they are innately superior to the people they represent.

Tony Blair demonstrated it in spades when he had the brazen gall to refer to the Referendum result as “a blow for progressive ideas, and the result of being uneducated”. You can almost hear Blair’s very average little brain ticking away, thinking “Hmm, maybe we should be looking at ways to limit the franchise based on educational achievement”.

The Labour Party needs to detach itself from neo-Marxist syntax and theoretical Utopian systemics based on ridiculously outdated and discredited ideas. It needs to get back to people, to citizens, and to maths. But for myself, I long ago lost hope of there being any realistic likelihood of that: Labour – and many of the controlling pc/feminist precepts it embraces – are going into steep decline.

I suspect Farage sees this. He sees the US Left – even the GOP itself – in a flat, squealing panic about Donald Trump, he sees the media trying to distort the level of his popularity, and he sees denial among the radical chics about the Republican candidate’s steadying of support in recent days.

I might dislike the man, and you might detest him, but right now in America he is the anti-Establishment offering – and without doubt, the most realistic one ordinary US voters have had since Carter.

The evidence that Hillary Clinton is a financial crook, a corrupt donations gatherer and a foreign policy hawk is overwhelming. Yet I still hear American friends telling me that Donald Trump is “a threat to world peace”. Trump is a threat to world peace? Jeeesuz.

This new broader role for Nigel Farage represents a huge gamble for the former UKIP boss, but in some ways it’s a shrewd one. There is talk among his circle of Farage looking to identify and ally with anti-Establishment elements across Europe – but not just anti-Brussels groups. There is talk of visits to Poland and Hungary, and to the more strife-torn parts of ClubMed.

I am and will remain an outsider when it comes to both libertarians in general and UKIP in particular; but I do retain very good friendships among both groups. From a distance, it seems to me that if Nigel Farage were to look at the potential role in Western politics for a grouping opposed to big government, globalist colonialism, unnatural fluffy pc drivel and the élite tax privileges of multinational companies, he could very possibly strike gold.

Such a position on the spectrum would steal further support from Labour, be attractive to Tory leavers, get support from SME owners and sew up most of the older electorate. Perhaps above all, it could represent a credible Opposition to the Mayflower crew.

It wouldn’t be my idea of fun. But it would be better than a split-three-ways Labour disaster area….and in the end, it might (dare my scumbigotracist mouth utter such a thought?) do more to restore the labour/capital power balance than the existing Western Parties with a liberal bent have managed. Their performance in that endeavour, let’s face it, has since around 1983 been pretty dire.

Trump and Farage the saviour of the working and middle classes? Oh dear lord if that’s all we have things are worse than I thought, a lot worse. Are you sure the planet is large enough to contain the egos of both those men? All I hear is the last pathetic grindings of white male privilige.
All they are doing, IMHO, is pitching politics to the uber rich and saying we can deliver you their votes and protect you best from the masses. Farage intends to be the right wing version of Blair and get just as rich by being so.

This is why I try to steer clear of politics and concentrate on economics. I like the approach of people such as Steve Keen, Michael Hudson, Anat Amil and Nick Hanuaer. (Apologies if any names spelt incorrectly. A thriving middle class creates wealth and jobs not a few mega rich boors. We make them not the other way round.

It all boils down to getting money and lobbying out of politics and returning to Full Employment. All economics breaks down without Full Employment as measure and outcome.

On the behind the scenes one … you might want to add Mandellson,
he is a Soros kind of person seems to fraternise with oligarchs,
has connections into the BOE and still pull the strings in Labour.
When things get serious you often see him about as if to rally the thieves.

Family member is a paid up labour member with this Corbyn oust by Blairites is seriously considering dropping Labour membership and joining UKIP instead. I mean they voted BREXIT right and Labour only want BREMAIN so its a no win argument for Labour.

@bill40

Not seen in a bit hope your are keeping well. I used to think of the economics but in the end those manipulating the game will so manipulate the mathematics of it all that you have to cross back to social outcomes. If you operate a fiat monetary system the one person who should not be able to have any interaction with it is a greedy person.

Guess who has it? You those most greedy on top of that most deranged socially.

Hi Mark,
I’m working on something that I hope will help change the world for the better and help get progressive and sensible voices heard more. Always reading but don’t always post so look out come September when my idea launches. Keep well too and keep the faith.

I have always said that communism /socialism are bred from bad capitalism,unfortunately bad capitalism but bad people in powerful positions, Survival has always meant that you work with what you have,only during productive times do you have the luxury of shaping what you have to work with,War may bring better weaponry etc,but that is a productive time for war at the expensive of the economy and can never be kept up economically for to long particularly nowadays!

Nigel – I want my life back – Farage, is in the US with Trump? What happened to keeping Madame May’s feet in the Brexit fire?
UK Column’s critique of him seems spot on: he leads them up blind alleys (UKIP/Brexit):

Oh, The grand old Duke of York,
He had ten thousand men;
He marched them up to the top of the hill,
And he marched them down again.

And when they were up, they were up,
And when they were down, they were down,
And when they were only half-way up,
They were neither up nor down

Nigel Farage is the recipient of much abuse and derision on this blog. I fail to understand this.
He is the politician who has done most to highlight the corruption and Machiavellian maneouvers of the EU in support of Banksters and Corporations and against the best interests of the European people.
He has had an insiders view of the impotency of the EU Parliament and has been most vocal in its condemnation.
He could have sat quietly in Brussels and rode the gravy train all the way to a generous pension, as Neil Kinnock has done.
He has sacrificed this sinecure and is the politician who has been most instrumental in securing the Brexit result.
All democracies require a rebel, a maverick, a loose cannon to speak truth to Power and truth to the citizens, if tyranny and inequality is not to flourish.
The point has been reached where people are now aware of the failures in democracy, both in Europe and the USA. Politicians have taken their 30 pieces of silver and sold out their citizens. High unemployment,war, poverty, homelessnes and hopelessness are all the fruits of years of neo-liberal and neo-con policies.
Trump is far from being the perfect candidate for US President. He is not a politican and is an unknown quantity in that respect. But he is independently wealthy and can not be corrupted by money.
He is also a maverick and has the Establishment consisting of the Republican,party, Military Industrial Complex and Wall St, frothing like rabid dogs at the possibility of his election to President.
Previous and present US Presidents have all been selected by the Establishment ,to serve their interests. This pork barrel may now be in the process of being smashed.
With Hillary we know it will be the business of criminal fraud and US hegemonic wars as usual.
Trump is the only logical candidate, even if he is an unknown factor.

My money is on, business as usual, after all, the ‘apparent choice’ that we seem to enjoy is just a veneer, look at Brexit, it ain’t happening now, and it ain’t gonna happen in the future.
Hillary will get the seat at the top of the table, Owen Smith will get Labour, we’ll get to keep May and the world will get war, what’s not to like?

Salford Lad It’s his methods i don’t like but he’s entitled to try it his way! & that way may well bring change (whether that’s good is still to be seen) but change at this stage is better than the status quo!
I just feel that whatever he brings (Trump included)will need changing again! i personally would like to not have to keep forcing change until we stumble on what is right & works,but then that is life & history proves not that uncommon in human endeavour! i just wish a new more efficient way to change was available,in fact neoliberalism one claim to fame was that it did change the world,unfortunately by greed & power that was unsustainable & a busted flush,if only they had had the will power to stop themselves destroying themselves!

Americans’ stupidity is a real threat to World peace, such as it exists today.
WTF are they on?
How long is it possible to keep your head in the sand, with bum in the air, before you are prepared to admit that something doesn’t quite add up and that you might have to think about the situation for yourself?
The Trump / Farage synergy should be exploited to the fullest.

Sally Lad
Not really fair, I say quite clearly (and have for ages) that I am suspicious of Barrage’s motives – bombastic ex City bloke in Camel hair coat etc.
But I have also said that he has done all of us a great service in, if nothing else, challenging the Establishment drivel about racism, immigration, globalist superstates and the EC dictators.
No, I wouldn’t buy a used car from Nigel, but all things are relative: I wouldn’t give Owen or May the time of day, let alone buy something off them.

@Salford Lad +10
Oh how the liberal elite chattering and twattering classes love to disparage Trump and Farage. Just listen to the smug leftie comics on the BBC “News Quiz” and “The Now Show”, the sneering middle class, public school educated Marcus Bridstock is one of the worst. The alternative is the unspeakable Billary and Owen Smith. I think that the electorates each side of the pond know they are faced with a dire choice but are waking up to reality.

@Waldgaenger
You say it yourself. “Public school (((educated)))”.
By its nature, topical comedy needs to be researched, news events followed and lines of comedy angles developed, (((continuously))).
This exposes the reality that comics are very intelligent, well informed and capable of crafting a comedic viewpoint for the audience to digest. You’d have to be massively stoopid or seriously afraid if you bought into the MSM speak agenda, like the BBC crew have.
So I’ve listened to topical BBC radio comedy go down the pan, with Brigstock, Hardy etc, being clearly compromised.
“I’m sorry, I haven’t a clue” just about sums it up. ;-)

They really don’t have any sense of the irony of muddle surrounding their every thought, do they? I’m afraid I rarely get invited to dinner these days, because if there’s a Nazi of either left or right there I can’t resist being Our Man with the Icepick all evening.

John I know you are no fan of PC gays but this is rather different, with a section of the gay community challenging neoliberalism and exploitation within and failure by the police due to PC.

Since 2003 the corporate Manchester Pride event (which was taken over by the tourist board Marketing Manchester the previous year) has been unlawfully blocking the public streets of the gay village area to pedestrians, gay or straight if they didn’t pay for an expensive wristband. In a letter in 2010 Manchester Pride claimed to have the power to grant or refuse access to the the homes of residents living within the fenced area. They have been bullied horribly over the years.

At a protest at the gates in 2014, mainly by gay people, police officers (paid £50,000 by Pride) stood watched and laughed as Pride’s guards prevented access. The Department For Transport had said in writing that shouldn’t happen. They had seen the letters but still did it. The following spring the Local Government Ombudsman ruled that people had to be allowed to access premises. Last year and this it’s been happened but there are still some issues. Manchester City Council, was forced to rewrite it’s temporary traffic order in 2015 to remove mention of wristbands and is now bricking it to the extent that a hotline has been set up over the bank holiday weekend to report infringements by the arrogant “pride” organisers.

The factsmcr.com site is running a live blog. Perhaps the most interesting thing is that there is a total media blackout about this victory for rights and despite the Manchester Evening News, BBC and the gay media knowing about it. They continue the charade.

The annual event was set up as a registered charity fundraiser solely to raise money for for HIV AIDS in 1991. The factsheet available on the website gives some insight into the shameful charity amounts now, despite income having risen £600,000, 60% in the last two years. Pride grew out of the Stonewall riot against the police. Now neoliberal gays pay and use the police against other gay people who won’t pay to access the gay part of town.

As you have said about Farage and Corbyn, some of us are all on the same side when it comes to challenging neoliberal exploitation, unfairness and corporate greed.